Take MN-IT Advice to Be Cyber Secure

October 23, 2018

Thanks to our guest post from Minnesota IT Services with great advice on how everyone can take actions to be cyber secure. MN-IT has articles on detecting and defeating email attacks, shopping safely online, creating strong passwords, and keeping your smartphone secure.

October is “Cybersecurity Awareness Month” in the State of Minnesota, as proclaimed by Governor Mark Dayton on October 1, 2018. The Governor’s Proclamation draws attention to the need for visibility and public education around this critical issue.

“We live in a world that is increasingly inter-connected and dependent on technology, and keeping your information secure online is as important now as it has ever been,” said Minnesota IT Services Commissioner Johanna Clyborne. “You don’t have to be a computer expert to create a strong password or spot phishing attempts to harvest your personal data. Taking the time to learn some safety tips on your own contributes to a more secure Minnesota for everyone.”

Detecting and defeating email attacks
Scammers and cyber-attackers have found a cost-effective, time-saving way get their hands on your personal information – through email. One of the most common things to be on the lookout for is phishing. Read more.

Shopping safely online
Use familiar websites and look for the lock! Shop on trusted websites, directly with companies that you’ve heard of before and had good experiences with. Read more.

Creating strong passwords
Use password management tools. You should use a different password or passphrase for each online account you manage. And not just changing a single letter or number. Hackers know people do this so when they hack a website, they immediately try the email address and password combinations (or simple variations) on other popular websites. Read more.

Keeping your phone secure
Watch your Wifi. Remember that public wireless networks are not secure (which means that anyone else using the same network could see what you’re doing on your phone while you’re connected). If you can, try not to log in to financial services accounts or email when connected to public Wifi. Read more.